Expat Pension Transfer News

British expats in Spain are being urged to ensure they’re legally registered by the end of this year.
A message from the British Embassy has been sent to all UK expats living, retiring or working in the popular destination as a reminder that only the civil rights of registered residents will be guaranteed after the end of this year.
Registered Britons will be able to continue living and working in Spain, and British retirees on state pensions will be allowed access to Spanish healthcare. In addition, the UK state pension paid to...

QROPs is no longer the default option for retired expats.
Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes, better known as QROPS, came in some ten years ago and were subsequently glorified as the best option for Brits determined to retire overseas. They were also welcomed with open arms by the army of expat independent financial advisors lurking in every favourite retiree destination from Spain to the far reaches of Southeast Asia. However, it seems the days of QROPS as the best option may now be numbered as several legislation changes...

A British WWII veteran is now safe at home in the UK with his daughter and extended family after being abused and ill-treated by his Thai partner.
Only known as ‘Ron’ in media reports, the 86-year old pensioner moved to Thailand seven years ago after his then partner’s death and was currently living in the central Thailand province of Samut Sakhon after forming a relationship with a Thai woman and her family. According to his British family, he had only pallets to sleep on and was starving due to the lack of food and water, even...

In spite of a representative of the Thai government’s verbal attacks on expats, foreigners all over the popular destination are pulling out all the stops to help Thai nationals in need.
The pandemic’s devastating effect on Thailand’s tourist industry has seen small and medium sized businesses, hotels, guest houses and other hospitality sector owners left without any income and with little hope of the situation returning to anything resembling normal over the next few months. As a result, huge numbers of workers in the sector as...

The popular Spanish beachside hotspot of Andalusia is planning to open its 1,000 kms of beaches in time for the summer season, but with restrictions imposed.
In a desperate attempt to claw back some of the damage to its tourism revenue by the pandemic, Andalusia’s government is planning to re-open its swathe of beaches during July and August. The region is popular with British expat retirees, many of whom are now concerned the move may reignite a surge in pandemic victims, even although strict social distancing rules will apply....

Expats who’re living through the consequences of the worst threat to humans and the world economy for many decades may now have time to evaluate their choice of destination and even their careers as a whole.
Without a doubt, the 21st century’s two decades to date have witnessed a rush by would-be expatriates across the world to uproot from their home countries and settle in largely unknown destinations. Some were in it for the money, others for the adventure and older Westerners saw the move as a chance to explore the exotic...

Kuwait is planning to begin the repatriation of some 50,000 stranded expats this coming Sunday, with airlines being given permission to operate outward bound flights to defined destinations.
The repatriation effort comes as the emirate continues its amnesty ruling for expatriates without residency permits, with officials ensuring those affected won’t be fined for overstaying and will be allowed to return later provided they have the correct documentation. At the same time, Kuwait’s overall total of infections with the coronavirus...

It seems the coronavirus doesn’t just wreck lives, as it’s now caused an unpleasant major war between Spain’s two favourite English language media outlets.
As is true for many businesses during this unprecedented threat to both expats and residents all across the world and the economy in general, expat-aimed media outlets have also been hard hit due to a massive loss of advertising revenues. Many are at risk of closure as a result, especially if they’re providing printed copies as well as an online presence. The two papers...

For retirement savers and would-be expats hoping to switch their cash from a defined benefit pension to a QROPS prior to moving overseas, regulators have now announced a three month delay.
Due to the coronavirus’s devastating and destabilising effect on the markets and property prices, regulators are having problems setting the correct transfer value and have announced a three-month delay to the normally fast process. Early last week, the UK pensions regulator published new guidance notes detailing the postponement of transfers not...

Lonely older expats in the Spanish city of Estepona are now being tracked down and helped by groups of municipal workers.
According to the popular British retirement destination’s local councillor Begona Ortiz, her team of municipal employees have discovered 168 elderly foreign retirees in need of assistance as well as 363 local pensioners. As a result, the local town hall is now getting in touch by phone with at-risk residents and asking them whether they need help getting provisions and other requirements.
According to reports...